Michael Kelly/Recorder staff
Members of the Amsterdam High School boys 4x200-meter relay team are shown during Saturday's Fonda-Fultonville Relays in Fonda. The team broke its school's record in the event. Shown, from left, are: Izaiah Brown, Bryan Stanavich, Lucas Dorr and David Graveley.

Getting on Track: Taking a second crack at area rankings

Tuesday, May 06, 2014 - Updated: 9:39 AM

So, a while back, I dipped a toe into the water and attempted to put together a ranking of the area's 20 athletes most likely to compete this June at the outdoor track and field state championships.

Looking back, I feel pretty good about those rankings, but I'd certainly make some changes if I could go back and take a mulligan ... so, I am going to do just that.

The tough thing about making this list (a second time) is omitting athletes that were included in the first version. Some athletes -- notably Amsterdam girls' Brenda Santana and Fort Plain's Jordan Ahrens -- are not included this time because of injury issues that are lingering, while others are not included because of other area performers simply breaking out this spring. Nobody from my original list has not performed well this spring; we just have a lot of talent right now flowing through the area.

OK, so before we get into the list, several disclaimers. One, athletes were only considered from Amsterdam, Broadalbin-Perth, Canajoharie, Fonda-Fultonville, Fort Plain, Galway and Mayfield-Northville; two, of these schools, only Amsterdam is a large-school competitor, and the division which a school is in significantly factors into these rankings; three, an individual's ranking does not take into account the chance he or she could make it to states in a relay; and, four, expect another version of this list before we get to state qualifiers in late May.

The original ranking of an athlete is noted in the brackets, with a "U" denoting if an athlete was not ranked in my preseason list.

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20) Todd Briggs, Mayfield-Northville, Jr. [18]

The junior could be a factor in a couple of events, but his best chance appears to be in the triple jump. Briggs has steadily improved and has gone past 40 feet in the event; ideally, he needs to get to 42 feet.

19) Omahri Sturdivant, Amsterdam, So. [11]

Sturdivant is more than a foot behind the large-school leader in the triple jump, but his best leap of 43 feet, 10 inches means the sophomore has to be taken seriously as a contender.

18) Pierre LaPort, Broadalbin-Perth, Sr. [9]

LaPort is in a tough spot. Section II's small-school division is loaded in both the shot put and discus throw, and LaPort is right in the thick of a several-man battle in those events.

17) Fonda-Fultonville boys, 4x800-meter relay [17]

The Braves are a few seconds off the top time for Chatham this season, and the Panthers are the slight favorite in the small-school division.

16) Mike Visco, Broadalbin-Perth, Sr. [7]

The senior has emerged as the favorite this spring in the triple jump. He'd be higher if he had competed more often this spring, as he has only jumped a few times because he missed a couple meets in what has been a sparse schedule for B-P to this point.

15) Coreena Monroe, Broadalbin-Perth, Jr. [U]

This one is pretty much out of nowhere, but Monroe has become the small-school favorite in the 400-meter hurdles. That event is a new one for Monroe this spring, and the junior could keep B-P's streak of sending Lady Patriots to the state meet in this event despite MacKenzie Ottati's graduation.

14) Ariannah Logan, Canajoharie, Jr. [U]

At Friday's meet in Galway, Logan recorded a leap of 18 feet, 4.5 inches in the long jump. That mark puts her more than a foot better than the next-best competitor in the small-school division in Section II.

13) Greg Bogdan, Broadalbin-Perth, Sr. [13]

The race is rarely run during the season, but it is safe to say Bogdan will be a heavy favorite in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. The senior could be a factor in either the 1,600-meter run or the 3,200-meter run, but the steeplechase should be his ticket to states.

12) Lucas Dorr, Amsterdam, Sr. [12]

Dorr is a candidate to make it to states in the 100-meter dash either as a Section II winner or as an additional entry because of a qualifying time. The senior should get a chance this Saturday in Johnstown to officially record a qualifying time in this event.

11) Ryan Park, Fonda-Fultonville, Sr. [8]

The disclaimer here is always the same: Park is the favorite in the pole vault, but it sure is a wacky event to predict. Still, Park has consistently been Section II's best this spring, and he should be a safe bet to make it in the small-school division.

10) Canajoharie girls, 4x400-meter relay [16]

I spoke with Canajoharie co-head coach Ellee Fichthorn this weekend about this group, and the Lady Cougars' top time of 4 minutes, 20.5 seconds could even be a little bit higher if not for some oddities within the race the day the club achieved that mark. The small-school favorite in this event is still figuring out the No. 4 runner around eighth-grader Jordan Porter, and juniors Ariannah and Jordyn Logan.

9) Amsterdam boys, 4x100-meter relay [U]

Despite key losses from a year ago, I thought the Rams could put together a fun team for this event. The first two runners -- sophomore Bryan Stanavich and Dorr -- are the key, as that duo consistently has the Rams in first place at the halfway point of the relay. Unexpectedly, the Rams have become the favorite in this event.

8) Julian Gallup, Amsterdam, Sr. [6]

Gallup remains the favorite in the long jump. The question for the two-sport athlete is the following: Will he be able to participate enough in track and field during the next few weeks to stay atop the field?

7) Anna Smith, Broadalbin-Perth, Sr. [4]

Smith's tumble reflects some other area athletes exceeding (my) expectations and has nothing to do with her own performance this spring. The senior thrower is still one of the heavy favorites in the shot put and could be a nice dark horse in the discus throw.

6) Michael Sweet, Fonda-Fultonville, Sr. [U]

The highest climber is right here. Sweet has been spectacular all season in the 110-meter hurdles and is on track to be the small-school favorite in that event.

5) David Graveley, Amsterdam, Jr. [5]

Graveley is the favorite in the large-school division in both hurdling events, but his focus will be on the 400-meter hurdles. The junior seems to drop his time in that event on a weekly basis, and he is likely only going to need a top-two finish at state qualifiers to make it to states, as he will hit a qualifying time.

4) Jake Coveney, Broadalbin-Perth, Jr. [10]

He is the clear favorite in the small-school pentathlon and Coveney could be argued up to the No. 2 spot. I have him here because the pentathlon is likely the toughest event to project because it is possible a school could throw a super-charged rookie into this event for state qualifiers. So, fear of the unknown keeps Coveney down a bit.

3) Amsterdam boys, 4x400-meter relay [3]

Right now, the Rams' best time is No. 2 in the section behind Albany, but Amsterdam remains a sizable favorite in this event. When the Rams line up their four best runners, the time is going to be right around 3 minutes, 20 seconds -- and it's tough to see another Section II team coming close to that time.

2) Lindsay Therrien, Fonda-Fultonville, Sr. [2]

Therrien's best time in the 100-meter hurdles is roughly a half-second clear of the next-best competitor in the small-school division in Section II. The senior is a strong bet to make a third trip to the state championships.

1) Izaiah Brown, Amsterdam, Jr. [1]

While this year's Section II field in the 400-meter dash is likely deeper than last season's version, Brown is not going to have any problem punching his ticket. His presence could even clear several top competitors from the field, as some may opt to take on either the 200-meter dash or the 800-meter run.